CEO Leif Petersen joins launch panel as new European alliance brings defense, industry, and innovation together.
HOLOGATE was among the original signatories and founding members of the newly launched Defence Alliance. Its initial membership was formalized at an official signing ceremony at Munich’s Wappenhalle on 28 September, during Bits & Pretzels 2026.
The Defence Alliance is part of the German Federal Government’s Startup and Scaleup Strategy and stands under the patronage of Katherina Reiche, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy. It aims to connect government, serving military personnel, established industry, startups, investors, and research organizations across borders. Operated by BASED, Germany’s de:hub for Security & Defence, it is designed to help promising defense and dual-use technologies move faster from development into practical capability.
HOLOGATE CEO and Founder Leif Petersen took part in a very informative panel discussion “Chaos or an Alliance for Resilient Nations” alongside leaders from Shield AI and Daimler Truck Defence. HOLOGATE representatives were also present at a company stand, meeting delegates, participants, and discussing the role immersive training and simulation can play in operational readiness.
“Being a founding member of the Defence Alliance is a proud moment for HOLOGATE. It recognizes what our team has already built and the role we have earned in this field.” Said Leif Petersen, CEO and Founder of HOLOGATE. “But for me, it is also a starting signal. The need for effective training and stronger European capabilities is growing, and we have to step up again to meet it – together with the people and organizations who will use and need these solutions.”
The launch brought together organizations with different but complementary strengths. The Alliance’s ambition is to create the relationships, shared understanding, and routes to implementation needed to turn innovation into useful, scalable capability. Discussions at the event also addressed resilient supply chains and the challenge of moving from prototypes to operational products and production at scale.
“Europe has extraordinary expertise across its startups, industry, research institutions and armed forces. The Defence Alliance is intended to connect those strengths more effectively, build trusted relationships and help strong ideas reach operational use.” said – Lippold von Oldershausen, CEO of BASED, de:hub Security & Defense.
The significance of the event was marked by the attendance of Dr. Janina Jänsch, Head of the Department for SME, Future Technologies, and Startups within the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. “It is not uncommon for events and networks, such as the founding of the Defence Alliance, to be viewed primarily as symbolic acts. In reality, however, they make a significant contribution to strategic networking and cooperation. Startups and medium-sized businesses bring new ideas, agility, and specialist capabilities to this sector. Bringing them together with established industry players and the people who need, and will ultimately use, these solutions can only deliver benefits and help innovation develop into practical, scalable results.” said Dr. Janina Jänsch.
For HOLOGATE, founding membership reflects its work in immersive training and simulation for defense and public safety. Its HGXR systems and HOLOFORCE software enable teams to train together in adaptable, repeatable virtual scenarios and review decisions and performance. The company’s participation in the Alliance creates further opportunities to exchange knowledge with end users and collaborate across the wider European defense ecosystem.
